Professor Donncha O’Connell of the School of Law, NUI Galway has been appointed by the Government to an independent expert group to review the Offences Against the State Acts.
The review group will be chaired by Mr Justice Michael Peart, a retired judge of the Court of Appeal. The other members of the group are: Mr Ken O’Leary, a retired civil servant from the Department of Justice, Dr Alan Greene, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham, Ms Anne Marie Lawlor, SC, a criminal law practitioner and Ms Caitlín Ní Fhlaitheartaigh, formerly of the Office of the Attorney General.
Professor O’Connell was a member of the Law Reform Commission from 2012 to 2020. He was also a member of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and the Legal Aid Board. From 1999 to 2002 he was the first full-time Director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee who appointed the group said that the Offences Against the State Acts have been a vital component in our response to the anti-democratic and criminal forces that have sought to undermine the integrity of our State through violence and intimidation.
“I am firmly of the view that the Offences Against the State Acts and Special Criminal Court have served the State well in tackling subversives and organised crime gangs and have long been a necessary part of the State’s arsenal in this regard. However, it is important to occasionally review the operation of our important legislation,” she said.
“A comprehensive and independent review was previously published in August 2002 by a committee under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge, the late Mr Justice Anthony Hederman.
“This current review is timely and will complement the advanced work in my Department to deliver on the Programme for Government commitments regarding the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland,” concluded Minister McEntee.
